Bran-nu Look For Brandy Norwood

I admit, I am sick of the "weave all down your back" look and it is so refreshing to see Brandy's new hair cut! Check out photos from her YRB magazine shoot and interview highlights inside

Brandy chatted with "YRB" Magazine recently to promote her upcoming disc Two-Eleven and reflect on her career in the industry. During the chat, she talked about evolving her "sound", how Whitney Houston inspired her, and what role Frank Ocean plays on the disc. Here are the highlights:

On her new "sound":

“It’s definitely R&B, but it has the crossover appeal. It’s grittier, it’s edgier, it’s just different type of R&B. It’s not your regular smooth, soft with the beat type music,” she describes. “It’s just taking risks and hearing how I sound over different types of music, and I wanted an album that different people can listen to. Not just R&B, but pop and hip-hop. I wanted everyone to have something that they can listen to on this album.”

On "Two-Eleven" representing her birthday and the Whitney Houston passed away:

“Some of the titles I was working with were Rebirth, Reincarnation, Reinvention, Resurrection… I just felt like Two Eleven describes all of that. It’s the day I was born, and each year, I evolve and change with time. It also has a whole new meaning to it because I gained my angel. My icon is my angel now. It’s all tied in there and I just think it best represents who I am and the responsibilities I have moving on.”

On why she worked with Frank Ocean:

“His music speaks volumes, and I was able to experience that before everyone else knew,” she says. “I always knew he was really special and I just wanted to see how we could vibe, what we could come up with together in the studio this time around. He’s just a genius. I think his songs have so much substance and so much depth, and you need that on an album as well.”